Week 7: The Significance and Attraction of "The Nutcracker"

    We often associate the holidays with the music of the twinkly sound of the Sugar Plum fairy or the upbeat paced Marzipan excerpt from the Nutcracker. However, on the other side of the world, Russia the epicenter of ballet treats it as just another ballet and not a Holiday.

    The premise of the story revolves around the plot of a girl who befriends a nutcracker doll on Christmas eve. Which the doll comes to like and fights the Mouse King. and in which the Nutcracker prince and the girl go into the Land of Sweets. The ties to the American holidays and traditions have made it a ubiquitous part of the "American Christmas". 

     




  "The Nutcracker" didn't gain a strong associate with Christmas in Russia. The production has on-and-off performance for decades as principal dancers of companies were not particularly attached to it. Whereas in the US "The Nutcracker" has become a staple due to influences like front New York City Ballet in 1954. 

    Another more technical reasoning for the low attractions due to the style of the choreography. "The Nutcracker" consists of many bouncy and fast paced sections and scenes where as the "Russian" style is a lot slower and calmer with longer scenes like Swan Lake and more time to show off the expertise of the dancers. Choreographers and artistic directors play a vital role in the shaping and reception of cultural works in the two countries. 

    The cultural attitudes towards the arts and holiday tradition can carry and some of the discrepancies between the two has caused the US to associate the nutcrackers as the staple ballet of the holiday season.

The Nutcracker’: how a Russian composer turned out a highlight of American Christmas

Comments

  1. Allison November 29, 2023 at 5:46 PM

    Hi Patrick! “The Nutcracker” does have a strong association with Christmas in the United States! I remember reading many books that mentioned the characters going to a Nutcracker play in the wintertime. I find it interesting how Russia doesn’t see it as anything special because of how many ballets they have. I wonder if they would have “better” Christmas ballets? I also find it interesting how the different style of ballet sets “The Nutcracker” aside from the calmer scenes from Russian ballets. I wonder if that means this style is less appealing to them? This change of pace would certainly make “The Nutcracker” more unique compared to the other performances.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Muhammed AliNovember 29, 2023 at 6:46 PM

    Hi Patrick! Before reading this blog, all I knew about "The Nutcracker" was that it was a ballet, and I never really considered the fact that it was a seasonal performance. You summarized the plot really well and I felt as though I had enough context to understand the rest of the blog. It's interesting that the performance is less renowned in Russia considering it was made by one of the greatest Russian musicians ever, but it makes sense because ballet is more popular there and the style has changed over the 100+ years of its existence. From my understanding, since America isn't as akin to ballet as a country like Russia, the performance has an easier time impressing American audiences and solidifying itself as a part of Christmas. I like how you compared their popularity and rise in both of the countries because it gives a double perspective that helped me understand the topic more thoroughly, all while keeping it very concise. Great job!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Aarya Patil Week 8 : The Evolution of the American Language

Image
American English, is a vibrant language, with several different strands, which showcases its evolution. It presents the combination of varying influences, each one leaving a clear mark on the language we speak today.  The American language may seem weird for new learners. As one article points out, “the spelling doesn’t match the pronunciation.” Imagine coming to America as an immigrant, and having to learn this language. It would seem like an almost impossible task due to all the grammar rules, ironic spellings, and homophonic words. However, it is all these quirks that make the American English language as unique as it is. According to a 2023 survey, English is the number one language spoken in the world!  As we are taking ourselves back to the 1920s in class, the jazz era covered by F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby," showcases a much different language than many of us have heard before. The Roaring Twenties introduced a vivid array of phrases and terms that were...
Read more

Muhammed Ali Week 5: A Brief History of the American Flag

Image
  A Brief History of the American Flag           The American flag has been an ever changing symbol of the United States. Ever since its inception in 1776, the flag has undergone both subtle and drastic alterations, reflecting the growing and advancing state of the country.  It’s widely believed that the first official American flag was created by Betsy Ross in 1776 under the commission of George Washington himself. Although there is no hard evidence to prove any of this information, it is a story that has been told for an extremely long period of time and is accepted by a large group of people. The flag featured a similar design to what we have now, but instead of 50 stars, there were only 13. These 13 stars were lined up in a circle laid on top of the blue section in the top-left corner.  A year later, American lawyer Francis Hopkinson redesigned the flag and made it resemble today’s flag to an even further degree. Though no new states ...
Read more

Muhammed Ali Week 8: Cannibalism in Jamestown

Image
  Cannibalism in Jamestown Cannibalism has been a terrifying part of humanity for thousands of years. America itself has a long history of cannibalism, dating back to when the first settlers established Jamestown. When the Europeans initially arrived, rumors spread that suggested Native Americans committed violent acts of cannibalism not only to their enemies, but within their own tribes as well. It’s likely that these claims were fabricated in order to create distrust amongst Europeans aimed at the Native peoples, making it more justifiable to fight them and claim their land. While the accounts of Native American cannibalism cannot be confirmed, it is widely believed that the residents of Jamestown themselves—the ones who spread rumors in the first place—participated in the practice of cannibalism. As food was running low and people were getting hungry, residents started eating their animals (horses, etc.). After their supply of animals ran out, they moved to hunting snakes ...
Read more